Keyless lock suitable for cycle lock and the like



A. K. I. BAUERS.

KEYLESS LoCK SUITABLE FOR CYCLE LoCK AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25, 1919.

1,408,434, Patented Mar. 7, 19.22

AAGE KARL JOHANNES BAUERS, OF COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.

KEYLESS LOCK SUITABLE FCR CYCLE LOCK AND THE LIKE.

AMosman Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.,A

Application filed October 25, 1919. Serial No. 333,268.v

and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which'form a part of this speciiication. v

This invention refers to a keyless lock which, as desired, can be used vas a stationary lock, padlock, or the like, andwhich, among other uses, is also suitable as a cycle lock.

The lock consists of a movable member, which will here be called a bolt, and a number of latching-members which will here be called tumblers. The bolt can be moved by means of a4 suitable outside membeigwa knob, or the like and the tumblers have eX- terior extensions the ends of which form a kind of key-board. Each tumbler will, only in a single, definite position, permit the bolt to be moved in the opening direction, while, in all other possible positions,` it will catch and lock the bolt. Thus the condition for the opening of the lock is that all the tumblers assume the first mentioned position, or the free position. Between the bolt and the various tumblers, there is, by means of suitable members, accomplished such a co-operation that the tumblers, or some of them are compulsively moved away from the free position when the lock is shut. All the exterior prolongations of the tumblers will then assume suitable uniformly situated positions (normal positions) so that it is impossible to see on the key-board which tumblers are not to be moved, and which are to be moved, and in which direction they are to be moved. Considering the great number of possible combinations, it is practically impossible for the lock to be opened by one who is unacquainted with the right combination, which can be varied indefinitely in the different individual locks,

even if the number of locks manufactured is very great.

One form of construction is, by way of example, diagrammatically shown in the drawing, where-` Figs. l and 2 are front views of the lock open and shut respectively, the front plates of the ease and bolt being removed;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the closed lock, part of the tumbler extensions being broken away;

Fig. f1 is a detail;` and Figs. 5-7 are three tumblers in free position (removed from the lock).

Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of the bolt.

The shown lock has an obl-ong case consisting of two plates 8 united `by means of a number of rivets 9. The bolt 10, which can be pushed up and down in the lock-case, consists of two plates, each plate formed with two narrow end pieces 10 extending transversely vacross the lock case, which end pieces are connected by a wide central web 10 extending longitudinally of the lock case,

vthe webs of the two plates being connected by means of a rectangular cross-piece 11. The shank 13 of a knob 12 is passed from the front (to the right in Fig. 3) through the cross-piece 11 in which it is held by a nut 14 on the rear side and a spring 15 on the front. In the front plate of the lockcase there is a straight slit 1G for the shank 13, and in the rear plate there is a slit of `the shape shown in Fig. 4l, the upper part 1T of which-has approximately the same shape as the nut 14, andwhose lower part t 18` has a similar but longershape,while the central part 19 only has the same width as the shank 13. The significance of these detailsv will be more clearly set forth in the following.

Cn the middle vrivets 9 of the lock-case there are revolubly disposed arms 20, having pins-21 which engage in recesses 22 formed in suitable locking-members 23, which are revoluble around the lowermost rivets 9, but are only partly shown. They may e. gQbe claw-shaped Vmembers, which can grasp down around a wheel tyre and in between the wheel-spokes. sides of the arms 20 have projections 24 so that, when the cross-piece 11 is moved upward from the position shown in Fig, 2,

The mutually facing said projections' lie in the path of the crosspiece and are therefore turned so that the arms finally brought into the position shown in Fig. 1, with the inner sides ot these projections 2l in contact with the sides ot' the cross-piece. When the cross-piece is pushed down from this position it will meet other projections 25 on the arms 20, so that these arms are now turnedopposite to their former direction and finally press against the sides of the cross-piece with the inner sides of the projections 25 (see Fig. 2).

At the iirst movement, the locking-members 23 are turned in such a direction that they are opened, and at the second movement they are shut.

The tumblers 26 are revolubly disposed on the top rivets 9, e. g. four on each. Their projections 27, which lie outside of the lockcase, form the aforesaid keyboard,-herc in the form of tworows of keys'28.

In normal position (Figs. 1 and 2) these keys lie .tour in a row. In veach tumbler there is a recess into which engage pins 29 on the bolt 10. j Each or` these recesses has approximately the shape of a spade, the lower part oi3 whose blade has tapering` edges 30, and -whose handle 31 isv either stra-ight and proceeds from the centre of the upper edge 32 of the blade (Fig. 6) or is crooked and proceeds from one corner or the other of the blade (Figs. 5 and 7 In order that the bolt may` be moved from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 1, all the tumblers must assume positions such as those shown in Figs. 5-7, namely with the handle 31 of the recess situated justV opposite the pin 29. It some, or only one, of the tumblers do not uliill this condition, but have the edge 32 situated above the pin 29 (see right side in Fig. 1,) the opening of the lock is prevented.

)Viren the normal position of the tumblers is such as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the

tree position and the normal position will coincide with respect to tulnblers whose re` cess has the shape shown in Fig. 6. Thus such tumblers do not act obstructively in normal position, but obstruct when, if an attempt is made to open the lock, they are turned to the right or left.' Tumblers suoli as those shown in Figs. 5 and 7 obstruct in normal position, and their keys must be i turned to right and to left, respectively, in

order to give a free position.

For instance, if three tumblers in the left row and two in the right row have the shape shown in Fig. G, while one tumbler to the left and one to the right have the shape shown in Fig. 5 and one to the right has the shape shown in Fig. 7, it is necessary, in order to be'able to push the bolt up, to turn just these certain tumblers,all three of them and only themf-uamely the keys -v cross-piece 11), and all `the tumblers of the first two to the right and the key of the last to the left. l

lVhen the bolt is pushed up, the three turned tumblers will, owing to the crooked shape of the handles 31, again be turned back into normal position.

Then the bolt is again pushed down, the .three tumblers, in the course of this movenient, will firstbe turned out into cfree7 position and then, when the pin 29 engages one or the other of the oblique edges 30, will be carried back to normal position.

The downward movement of the bolt takes place against a spring 33 which, e. g. is inserted between the upper part of the lockcase and the cross-piece 11. Thus this spring tends to hold the lock-members 23 in opening position. A further assurance against unintentional closing of the locking members is attained by the co-operation between the nut 14 and the special slit 17, 19, 18 (Fig. 4r). When l the lock is open, the nut 14, actuated by the-spring 15, will be held in the widened top-part 17 of the slit, and the bolt 10, the arm 20, and the locking members 23 can be moved only when, by an inward pressure on the knob 12, the nut 14 has been pushed out of the slit. An accidental pushon the knob l2 will not destroy the security, even if the nut 14 is forced ont of the slit, as the spring 33will still hold the bolt up, and the spring 15 will again pull the nut back into place. i

If the lock is to be closed, one should iirst press in the knob 12, so as to loosen the nut 14,r and then push the knob downward. Its shank 13 will then slide in the central part 19 of the slit. Vhen this central part is passed, the nut lasprings into the widened lower part 18 of the slit and stops the sliding movement when its lower edge touches the lower edge `of the lower part 18 of the slit. The pins 29 will then be in the lowest corner of the tumbler recesses (see, in Fig. 2, the dotted lines indicating the positions 129 of the pins-29 and the yposition 111 of the will then assume normali position. I'Vhen the knob 12 is next let loose, the spring 33 will pull the bolt up until the nut 14 assumes the position shown inFig. 4 and stops the bolt. j

The pins 29 are then in the broad part of the tumbler-recesses, so that the tumblers can now be turned. v When the lockis to be opened, it is `first necessary to release the nut ltfrom the slitsection 18 by pressing on thev knob 12. The spring 33 will then accomplish the opening movement, and finally the spring 15 will force the nut 14 into the top slit-,section 17.

.Each tumbler can only be turned through a certain angle, namely, until the pin 29 j tou'ches one side or the other of the recess.

The tumbler or tumblers that should be turned in order to be brought into free position shall each time be turned just this angle. Thus when the tumbler stops of its own accord, it is in free position. Therefore it is possible for the person who is acquainted with the lock to nctuate the keyboard correctly by :t single7 quick grip.

I claim 1. A keyless lock comprising :t casing, it

locking member thereim a plurality of securing members pivote-ily mounted in the casing and having recesses therein, euch re cess terminating in e narrow slot and having obstructing edges adjacent the slot, and pins on the locking members projecting into the recesses and cooperating with the latter to control the movements of the securing members.

2. A keyless lock comprising a casing, a bolt slidably mounted therein, a plurality of tumblers pivotally mounted in the casing and having' extensions projecting outside the latter, pins onthe bolt projecting into recesses formed in the tumblers, said recesses having oblique end edges for engaging the pins whereby the tumblers are moved into normal position, zt spring, and :L stopping device cooperating with the latter to hold the locking mechanism in open position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name.

AAGE KARL JOHANNES BAUERS. 

